Earth Day Orchard Tour: Learn About Organic Apple Growing @The Cider Farm Orchard, Mineral Point, WI

ANNUAL EARTH DAY SPECIAL TOUR – ORGANIC APPLE GROWING
SATURDAY, APRIL 18TH, 2026, 2PM

Tour This tour is your chance to talk about growing apples organically while in our 18-acre orchard.  We will share what we’ve learned and are learning about growing organically.  It’s a never-ending learning process.  Plus we grow unusual varieties that make the effort even more challenging.

We can also talk about enhancing the diverse natural landscape of our 166-acre farm in Mineral Point in Wisconsin’s beautiful Driftless Area. The tour will be just over one hour depending on your questions about organic apple growing.  At the end, we’ll raise a toast to the season with our Classic Dry cider. Afterward, you are welcome to stay for a picnic and to walk around the orchard, woodlands, and prairie.

Make it a picnic! Bring a picnic blanket or chairs.  We offer advance orders of a boxed cheese board and cider for you to enjoy on-site. Be sure to select the Cheese & Cider add-on when purchasing your tour tickets below at least a day in advance of the tour. 

A few items to note about the tour:

• Be prepared to walk approximately half a mile. The terrain is varied so be prepared for uneven ground, stones, and mud at this time of year.
• Wear sturdy footwear.
• All tour participants must be 14 years or older; this is not for children.
• We suggest you bring a water bottle, sun protection and dress for the weather.
• Arrival and parking – once you arrive, follow the parking signs and meet at our pop-up tent.
• Please note this is NOT a normal orchard. We are not open to the public. Our apples are cider apples and not the apples sold for eating, baking, etc.
• Porta-potty on site.
• Water hydrant to refill your water bottles.
• No picnic tables, just bring a blanket and/or lawn chairs and find a grassy spot that suits you for the cheese and cider option.
• No pets allowed.  We have 3 dogs and they think that is plenty.
• No smoking.

Meet your apple grower!

Deirdre Birmingham is co-owner and manager of The Cider Farm.  She started the orchard by taking a grafting class with her husband, John Biondi, in 2003 to learn how to make the tannic cider varieties they felt were important to the quality ciders they envisioned. She is learning by trial and error how to grow organically the English and French varieties in our Midwest climate.

Purchase tickets below.

If tickets are sold out, email deirdre@theciderfarm.com with your number of requested tickets.

Reduce, REUSE, Recycle In honor of Earth we encourage you to bring back your empty cider and apple brandy bottles.  We’ll reuse them.

Cancellation Policy Cancellations/refunds will be accepted up to 48 hours before the tour.  Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate cancellations after this date.